Crime & Safety

Rosemount Man Charged with Threatening to Kill Ex-Roommate -- and His Cats

William Ray Bronson faces a felony charge of making terroristic threats.

A Rosemount man has been charged with threatening to kill a Lakeville man – and his cats.

William Ray Bronson, 33, faces a felony charge of making terroristic threats, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, Lakeville police were called to a home last Feb. 14, where the resident told them that Bronson – his roommate at the time – had been calling him names, swearing at him and threatening to kill his cats.

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When officers first spoke to the victim, he was “extremely emotional and difficult to understand,” the complaint says.

Bronson denied threatening to kill the man’s cats, and said that the victim actually had been swearing and yelling at him. He told police that he would stay in the basement to avoid any further conflict.

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Within two weeks, the victim called Lakeville police to ask why no charges had been filed as a result of the incident.

The victim provided police with a recorded statement, saying that Bronson had threatened to kill him and his cats. Two witnesses confirmed that Bronson had made such threats, according to the complaint.

Bronson’s criminal history includes a conviction for domestic assault by strangulation in 2010 and several convictions for assault and disorderly conduct.

He is scheduled to make a first appearance on the latest charge Aug. 1 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.


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